Kishore Mahbubani Knihy

Contrary to the prevailing view in the West that the 500-year dominance of Western civilization points to it being the only universal civilization, Can Asians Think? argues that other civilizations may yet make equal contributions to the development and growth of mankind. Mahbubani continues to illuminate his central arguments with new essays.

Kishore Mahbubani's essays delve into the complexities of Western and Asian relations amid growing global interdependence and heightened geopolitical rivalry. The book examines the unique challenges and dilemmas each region faces, offering insights into their interactions and the broader implications for international dynamics. Through thoughtful analysis, Mahbubani encourages readers to consider the future of global cooperation and competition in a rapidly changing world.

A leading global public intellectual explains how, while America became arrogant and distracted, a three-thousand-year-old civilization is well on the way to becoming the number one power in the world.

For centuries, the Asians (Chinese, Indians, Muslims, and others) have been bystanders in world history. Now they are ready to become co-drivers. Asians have finally understood, absorbed, and implemented Western best practices in many from free-market economics to modern science and technology, from meritocracy to rule of law. They have also become innovative in their own way, creating new patterns of cooperation not seen in the West. Will the West resist the rise of Asia? The good news is that Asia wants to replicate, not dominate, the West. For a happy outcome to emerge, the West must gracefully give up its domination of global institutions, from the IMF to the World Bank, from the G7 to the UN Security Council. History teaches that tensions and conflicts are more likely when new powers emerge. This, too, may happen. But they can be avoided if the world accepts the key principles for a new global partnership spelled out in The New Asian Hemisphere.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a miracle. Why? In an era of growing cultural pessimism, many thoughtful individuals believe that different civilisations cannot live together in peace. The ten countries of ASEAN provide a thriving counter-example of civilizational co-existence. Here 625m people live together in peace. This miracle was delivered by ASEAN.

The West's two-century reign as a global powerhouse is ending, with China and India emerging as the dominant economies. Kishore Mahbubani argues that the West can no longer impose its ideology or intervene militarily in other nations' affairs. He critiques significant missteps, such as the humiliation of Russia post-Cold War, which contributed to Putin's rise, and the destabilizing invasion of Iraq after 9/11. Mahbubani emphasizes that while the West's constructs of democracy and reason are vital for future peace, they must be promoted through diplomacy rather than force. He advocates for engagement via multilateral institutions like the UN, urging the West to recognize its changing status and influence rather than dominate. This perspective serves as a crucial reminder for the West to adapt and maintain its geopolitical relevance. Fareed Zakaria describes Mahbubani as a sharp and persistent critic, suggesting that this work provides an essential wake-up call for the West.

KISHORE MAHBUBANI has been hailed as "an Asian Toynbee, preoccupied with the rise and fall of civilizations" ( The Economist ), a "Max Weber of the new 'Confucian ethic'" ( Washington Post ), and "a prototype twenty-first century leader" ( Time ). A must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in contemporary Asia, this collection of provocative essays is certain to challenge the way you think.Asia's societies were more culturally and economically advanced than Europe's at the end of the first millennium. And yet by the nineteenth century the West had leaped so far ahead that even some Asians themselves harbored images of inferiority.Mahbubani's analysis of the past and predictions for the future amount to a wake-up call to Asians and Westerners alike. In diverse pieces such as "The Ten Commandments for Developing Countries" and "The Dangers of What the Rest Can Teach the West," he asserts that Westerners are largely unaware of their condescending attitudes and practices toward the East and maintain that outdated worldview at their own peril - Asia's economies are poised to surpass those of Europe and North America within the next fifty years. No one who reads these iconoclastic, unabashed arguments will ever regard East-West relations in the same light.“If you are looking for insight into how others perceive us—and the events of September 11 underscore that need—then I know of no better guide than Kishore Mahbubani. His collection of lively essays will both inform and challenge your thinking.”-- Paul Volcker“This book is a collection of absolutely first-rate essays, elegantly written. . . . Mahbubani has an instinct for the jugular when it comes to identifying a critical issue and setting forth a powerful thesis concerning it.”-- Samuel P. HuntingtonAuthor of The Clash of Civilizations“Interesting, provocative, and intellectually engaging.”-- Henry Kissinger